Following
Capitol
/
EMI
's last
Fats Domino
CD compilation (
Fats Domino Jukebox: 20 Greatest Hits the Way You Originally Heard Them
) by five years, 2007's
Greatest Hits: Walking to New Orleans
betters that comp in terms of sheer numbers (as it does 1990s
My Blue Heaven
) by ten tracks and this is a case when more is indeed more. Ten tracks is enough to offer depth, particularly in his earliest sides but also with a couple lesser-known hits from his
rock & roll
prime, turning this into a joyous overview of one of the greatest musicians of the '50s. It's nice to have this hit the
pre-rock & roll
and
R&B
a bit harder --
"Ain't That a Shame"
doesn't roll around 'til track six, then it's another ten before
"Blueberry Hill"
kicks off the string of crossovers -- because it illustrates how hard this rocker, who often gets pigeonholed as merely a genial piano player, really rocked. And though he cut other great material during his
Imperial Records
stint, it is surely one of the most consistent bodies of work in
, heard to full effect either in the four-disc
Walking to New Orleans
or the complete
Bear Family
box: for those who don't want or need to delve that deeply, or are just beginning to explore, this is nothing less than essential. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine